Course Code: VADA 105
Academic Year: 2025-2026
This course examines some of the major technical and formal aspects of the visual arts developed within global art history. Students will explore how diverse art forms have been utilized to express the social and cultural concerns of various peoples throughout the ages. A concentrated analysis on techniques and media pivotal to various fine and applied arts will take place. Drawing from a loosely-chronological structure, students will observe how drawings, paintings, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and architecture have evolved alongside human civilization. Key developments in spatial systems, representations of the body, interpretations of nature, and various forms of stylization and abstraction will be analyzed in some detail. Students will examine the intersections between personal, contemporary practices and art historical systems to engage with concepts central to the visual arts in an ever-changing, globalized world. Reflecting a spirit of inclusivity and belonging, the diverse group of artists studied in this course will challenge established hierarchies to advance an understanding of art history as a discipline in active development toward an equitable future.